Captain's family left in waiting

By
Bianca Hall

The family of alleged people smuggler Captain Emad remains in Australia more than six months after he fled the country, a parliamentary inquiry heard on Monday.

The family of alleged people smuggler Captain Emad remains in Australia more than six months after he fled the country, a parliamentary inquiry heard on Monday.

Authorities said last year Captain Emad, also known as Ali al Abbasi, had fled Australia on June 5, the day after the ABC's Four Corners program aired allegations he was running a people-smuggling racket from Canberra.

It was also claimed Captain Emad, pictured, passed himself off as a refugee after skippering an asylum-seeker boat intercepted in 2010 and that, after being released into the community, had been living in taxpayer-funded housing in Canberra while continuing people smuggling activities.

On Monday the Liberal senator Michaelia Cash questioned senior Department of Immigration officers about the fate of Captain Emad's family.

The inquiry was told authorities cancelled the protection visas given to Captain Emad's ex-wife, son, daughter and daughter-in-law last month.

Another daughter's visa had not been cancelled, and the inquiry was told this came down to the individual merits of the woman's case.

But the group remained in Australia on humanitarian, temporary-stay visas and removal-pending bridging visas and there is no date set for their removal.

It was unclear whether they were still living in public housing, and a spokesman for ACT Housing was unable to respond to inquiries before deadline.

Alison Larkins, from the refugee, humanitarian and international policy division, told the inquiry that just because the family's visa status had changed, it did not mean they did not need protection.